麟

lín
noun

Meanings

  1. 1 (in 麒麟) qilin; Chinese unicorn

Examples

HSK 7-9
Qílín zài chuánshuō zhōng shì jíxiáng de xiàngzhēng.
The qilin is a sign of good fortune in legend.
HSK 7-9
Gǔrén kuā cōngming de háizi shì qílín ér.
People once praised a gifted child as a qilin son.

Tips

culture
麟 is bound and forms 麒麟, a benevolent mythical beast that appears only in times of peace. The phrase 凤毛麟角 - 'phoenix feathers and qilin horns' - means something extremely rare and precious.

Components

radical
鹿 lù
deer
The deer radical on the left, a pictograph of an antlered deer. The qilin was imagined as a deer-bodied creature, so the deer radical marks this mythical-animal name. It groups 麟 with 麒 and 麋.
phonetic
粦 lín
phonetic component
Supplies the sound, read identically as lín. It works purely as a pronunciation marker; the same element appears in 鳞 and 磷.

Stroke Order

麟 lín